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HP Reveals Notebooks, Convertibles

Palo Alto, Calif. — New Windows 8.1 Pavilion and Envy convertibles and Pavilion notebooks from HP feature more processor, graphics and display options than before, as well as longer battery life and more Pavilion color options, the company announced.

All are also the first announced HP products with Bang & Olufsen or B&O Play sound tuning.

The products will be available in May and June, depending on model, with Windows 8.1, but Michael Nash, product management VP for consumer personal systems, said he is confident all will be upgradable to Windows 10 when the OS becomes available later this year.

For the Pavilion notebooks, a touchscreen option has been expanded across the entire line, a 1080p screen option is available on select sizes for the first time, and discrete graphics-chip options are available for the first time to improve graphics performance. Optional backlit keyboards are also new on the Pavilion notebooks and convertibles, as are IPS displays across all convertibles to widen the viewing angle.

The Pavilions feature plastic unibody like before, but the convertible Envy x360 has a plastic main chassis with brushed-aluminum lid and aluminum keyboard surround. Plastic unibodies look better in color, are more reliable because there are fewer parts to break, and are less costly to make, said Nash.

Like before, the Pavilion and Envy convertibles adjust into clamshell, tablet, entertainment and tent positions but use a new three-gear hinge instead of a friction hinge for smoother rotation from notebook to tablet mode.

Integrated CD/DVD disks drives return to the Pavilion notebooks after disappearing in 2013 and 2014.

The Pavilion x360 convertibles come in 11- and 13-inch screen sizes with IPS, HD resolution and 1080p FullHD option on the 13-inch model. They also come with B&O Play audio tuning with dual speakers, full-size 1.5mm travel keyboard, up to fifth-generation Intel Core M-5Y10C processors on the 11-inch model in addition to Intel Celeron or Pentium processors, and up to fifth-gen Core i5 processors on the 13-inch model. They also feature up to 1TB HDD or 128GB solid-state drive, up to 8GB memory on the 13-inch, up to 16GB memory on the 13-inch, and battery lives of 8.25 and 10.75 hours, respectively. The 11-inch model, which features fanless design, delivers four hours more of battery life than its Pentium-based predecessor.

The single Envy x360 convertible, which replaces a single SKU, steps up to Bang & Olufsen-branded audio. Compared with the previous version, it adds backlit keyboard, IPS display, and aluminum top and keyboard deck. It continues to offer discrete graphics processor. Other features include fifth-gen Intel Core i5 or i7 processors, up to 1TB HDD, hybrid HDD or solid-state drive up to 256GB, 15.6-inch FullHD display, and battery life up to 8.75 hours, up from 7 hours. The 1.5mm keyboard is full size. Despite the larger battery, the device weighs almost three quarters of a pound less than the previous generation product, HP said.

Prices, availability: The Pavilion notebooks are expected to be available in the U.S. on May 13 at HPshopping.com and select retailers starting June 21. Select configurations and prices include:

Bang & Olufsen and B&O Play tuning marks HP’s first collaboration with the luxury-audio brands, which will have greater influence over audio performance in future products as the audio maker collaborates with HP earlier in the product-design cycle, said Nash. “We plan to do much more in the future.”